Purge of Halloween
by Nella Siphron
Summary: Sally has a vision. Now the holidays are vanishing. The human realm is their only escape. Will Jack be able to save the holidays and most importantly his family? AN: Tis set post movie and Oogie's revenge. I plan on character death later on but not spoiling whose. Also an OC daughter is included.
1. Chapter 1

It had been a few years since the Christmas debacle and even Oogie's return and domination over every holiday. Halloween Town and its inhabitants developed good relations with Christmas town and the lands of other holidays. The holiday leaders had band together in a counsel. They would often get together when trouble was going on in the real world or when one holiday was getting behind schedule.

The King of Halloween also welcomed his Ragdoll Queen into his dark castle. They lived together for a few years and now brought a young princess into the family. Her name was Odella. She wasn't natural born since her mother was handmade. Her parents settled on creating their own little monster with the help of Doctor Finkelstein and some local witches. Features of each were mixed and matched until they developed the seamless plans for a doll. Not a ragdoll like Sally but a kind of porcelain doll. Her features were elegant and slim like Jack but she had the feminine charm and red hair of Sally.

Odella kept her hair in two pigtails. Her eyes were seemingly devilish black in most lights but sparkled with silver flecks usually under the moonlight. Her skin was so stiff it was hard for her to express emotions or expand her mouth enough to speak loudly. As she grew she had to undergo multiple operations to replace parts in order to get the feeling that she's growing; her body was held together by strong wires that vibrated with her life and soul. If a single thread is nicked she might have to live with difficult health conditions or even lose her life. Because of her delicate conditions her parents kept her in a cushioned room unless they were around to help her. It was hard for her to balance and falling often led to chips or cracks. Jack usually carried her on his back whenever she convinced them to bring her out to town.

Jack and Sally loved and raised her to be the next Halloween leader. Being caged in her room gave her more than enough time to study and read every book they owned. She learned to love it and her father taught her everything there was to know about Halloween town and even facts about other holidays. She often had trouble understanding and remembering a few of them no matter how many times she recited the books.

Fifteen more years had passed with peace and the success of thrilling the living. The dark house, once only fit to be home for a skeleton, was expanded to make room for the new queen and princess. Odella was learning more and more about being a ruler of an entire holiday; but she preferred to sit in her study and read books that had fallen from the human world into theirs. They were usually dark and grim which was perfectly fine for her. She was mature for a young girl and her favorites were romances between two unlikely beings. A forbidden love was her most addictive dream.

Today was the eleventh of November. A time of relaxation for the citizens as the King and mayor decided on the plans for next Halloween. Odella spent all day in her study reading and writing, as her father instructed, on the subject of why Halloween was important to the real world. Even though she was still young, Odella knew the answer. She just wanted to finish a book she had been re-reading for the tenth time and ended up staring out of her window most of the day. Zero laid in a small basket beside her desk and didn't mind napping through the silence as she ignored her work.

"Hello?" The voice of Jack rose and echoed up through the house. He was off at work, handling the Mayor and his ideas. "Anyone home?"

"I'm up here father." Odella called down to him. Shortly after giving her response, Jack appeared in the room. Zero yipped a greeting to his master before nuzzling back into his bed.

"Ah. How is your studying?" He took a look at the almost blank note in front of her on the desk.

"I'm sorry it's not done yet." Odella turned her eyes down and slumped slightly in her chair; she was worried she had disappointed him.

"Are you having trouble remembering it again?" Jack asked with a kind softness in his voice.

"No. I just don't feel interested enough to write an entire essay about it." She turned in her chair to face him. "I know it's important to understand why our town does what it does. I know that it's important to have a bit of horror in your life, to have a scare and feel alive. I just feel a little bored of it is all."

"Well you have been working a lot and you do know the subject almost as well as I do. So I guess you deserve this." Jack reached inside his coat and pulled out a small red leather book. Odella's eyes widened as she saw the title. _Beauty and the Beast._ She jumped up and hugged her father.

"Thank you so much." She was excited. It was the very book she was hoping to find. It had been mentioned in some of her other books and she felt like she had been missing out on an important experience. She then pressed the book as close to her heart as she could.

"By the way, do you know where your mother is?"

"Earlier she remembered more of her dream and said that she wanted to think about it. She said she was going to the graveyard." Odella casually explained. Her mother loved sitting on the spiral hill and it was common for her to leave during the day and visit it. She would usually bring Odella with her unless Jack was tutoring her again.

"Alright then bring your book and we'll turn it into a family outing." Jack swiftly lifted his daughter into his arms and led her down the staircase and out of the house as she couldn't stop herself from starting the book. Zero gladly volunteered to watch the house and finish his nap.

It didn't take them long to reach the hill. It was a short walk through the town and to the graveyard. Odella took a seat at the bottom of the hill with her back leaning against a pumpkin and turned the page she had been reading. Jack walked up the hill and stood behind Sally. She held a small dead flower in her hand. What the other two didn't know was that she originally had seven of them, but they vanished. One by one they fell from her hand and turned to ash blowing away in the wind.

"Sally? Is everything alright?" Jack asked worried about his wife. Sally stood and turned to him. She wore a grim expression.

"I'm afraid something terrible is going to happen. My dream; People are going to disappear Jack." She griped the last flower. "Everything we know is going to vanish. Our homes, our holidays."

Her voice cracked before turning to a whisper as tears rushed over her cheeks. She held up the last flower as it began to crumble and fall to a pile in her hand. Jack griped her shoulders and pulled her against him in a tight embrace.

"Then we need to do something. I will go and warn the other leaders. You should go see if Finkelstein will be able to do anything." He pulled a few inches away and looked into her eyes. "Sally, I need you to be strong, ok? I promise that everyone will be alright. Especially you and our Odella."

"Ok Jack. You're right." She sniffed and wiped her tears.

"Good." Jack smiled softly before turning and walking to the base of the hill with Sally close behind him. "Sweet Odella, I have a mission for you."

Odella giggled to her father's playful tone, it was important for her to laugh since she knew it was hard to read her emotions on her face. She rose carefully and curtsied.

"Anything for the king. What do you ask?"

"I want you to stay with your mother and keep everything calm and running smoothly." Jack spoke with a more serious tone but kept his small smile. "It looks like some trouble is brewing and we need to take immediate action."

"I understand." Odella nodded gently.

"Now I won't be gone long." Jack bid his simple goodbyes and headed towards the gates at the edge of town. Sally and Odella made their way over to the laboratory. It was a quiet walk. Odella cradled her book to her chest as her mind wandered. Worry was growing in her heart and visions darker than the normal sprouted in her head. When they entered the metal building Odella did her best to focus on helping her mother and forgot her thoughts.

* * *

This is my first and possibly only nightmare before christmas fic and also my first fic to use an OC. Please review and tell me if anything is unclear, peculiar, or if my OC is just a bad idea. (OC's are a little weird to me and I don't want to mess the story up by making one) I hope you enjoyed reading the first chapter.


	2. Chapter 2

"Who is it?!" A cranky voice echoed down from the top of the tower.

"It's just us Doctor!" Sally called back up.

"Ah." The whirring sound of a mechanical wheel chair spiraled along the ramp and soon the duck like creature came into view. "My favorite creation, how are you today?"

"I'm doing just fine today. Father got me a new book." Odella held out the book for the old man to see.

"That's good to hear." The doctor was always so kind to her but seemed apathetic when he spoke to Sally, whom he now turned his attention to. "So what brings you here this time?"

"Halloween town is in danger. I'm worried people will fade away and our homes will stop existing. I came to see if there's anything you could do." Sally cupped her hands together over her heart.

"What makes you think we're in danger?" He replied.

"I had another vision."

"More of your dream nonsense girl?" He snapped a bit but sighed. "I have to admit they usually did have some truth but they're still illogical and you shouldn't cry out in alarm with every single one. I'll make some plans but I won't actually do anything until there is real evidence that Halloween Town is endangered."

"Thank you. I know Jack will be pleased." Sally sighed and gave a smile.

"Where is he now anyway? It's too late for any meetings I assume."

"He went to talk to the other holiday leaders. To warn them."

"A little bold in my mind but I guess the Pumpkin King can't take any chances; no matter how illogical and senseless the source of information is." The old man turned his chair and began back up the ramp. "I have to go start some other work so come visit me when I'm not busy."

"Of course." Sally nodded and stepped out of the iron building with Odella right behind her. "Let's go home and wait for your father. I'm sure it'll take a while to talk with every holiday leader since it isn't a scheduled meeting."

The two walked home without any problems. Odella started a fire in the living room and set herself on her special lounge chair. She flipped open to her place in her book and continued to read. Sally entered the kitchen and decided that baking might help her stay calm. _I shouldn't be worried. Jack always finds a way to fix everything._

Gathering the ingredients the ragdoll set upon making a simple graveyard pumpkin pie. She even had some left over whipped screams from her last pie to put on top. Zero, now awake and alert swayed around her feet. Despite being a ghost, he loved nipping up whatever fell to the floor. Sally didn't really mind since it saved her from having to clean it up later.

A couple hours passed and the pie was sitting in the fridge waiting to be feasted. Sally joined her daughter by the fire as they both enjoyed a slice of the dessert. Odella was half way through her book and skillfully balanced her pie on her knees to nibble at as she read further into the story. She folded the corner of the page she was on when she heard the front door burst open. Zero rushed around the corner knowing exactly who it was.

A staggering Jack made his way into the room. He leaned against the wooden archway and slid down to the floor. Zero whined with a worried look at the exhausted Pumpkin King.

"JACK!" Sally leapt to his side. "What happened?"

"Sally, I'm fine. I'm just tired." He grabbed her hand and turned his half lidded eyes to her. He spoke quickly with short, rapid breaths. "We have to get everyone out of town. The holidays aren't safe. Easter and Saint Patrick's Day are withering away. Valentine's Day is completely gone. Some of the leaders are missing. The citizens who survive are running to Christmas town but there isn't enough room or any assurance that Christmas is safe either. The worlds are actually turning into voids, empty space. When I opened some of the doors there wasn't anything behind it but a hollowed out tree.

Santa is the only leader I could actually get a hold of. He doesn't know what's going on. The only thing for certain is that no one is safe not even Halloween. I don't know how to save my people or my holiday." Jack closed his eyes and pounded his head against the wood. His frustration was evident with the cracks forming in the archway. "We have to leave but there isn't anywhere we can go."

Odella, as emotionless as she was, felt very worried and scared. It took a lot to wear her father down. Then again she guessed that walking through a door expecting a world and finding an empty void was an intense experience for anyone. She usually kept quiet during stressing moments but there was a voice in her head, an idea she had to let out.

"What about the human world?" Her voice was quiet but her parents unmistakably heard her words. They both looked at her slightly confused but Jack quickly grew a smile.

"What are you thinking in that head of yours?" He prodded her for more information.

"Well, you only checked the holiday worlds and mother only seemed worried about the holidays. So maybe the human world will be untouched. If it is maybe the holiday citizens could live there until we figure out what's happening to our homes." Odella blushed slightly with the attention to what she felt was a stupid idea the more she explained it.

"You my dear have the great mind of a leader." Jack stood and went to pat his daughter on the head. "I didn't even think about the humans."

"But wouldn't we scare the humans? I don't think they'd like to host all of the holiday people." Sally stated worried about upsetting the humans and disrupting the order things went between them and the holidays.

"We don't have much choice and I'm sure we can make some sort of arrangement. I'll go meet with Finkelstein to see if he has any ideas and then run everything by Santa." Jack headed back to the door.

"Wait, you're in no condition to go back out now." Sally protested and stood in front of the skeleton.

"I'm fine Sally but we're running out of time. I don't know how much longer Halloween has." Jack easily maneuvered around his wife and left the house. The ragdoll sighed and turned back to her daughter.

"I guess we'll be moving." Sally collapsed back into her seat. Odella lowered her gaze to her twiddling fingers on her lap.

"I'm sorry if my idea makes you upset. I know you're happy here." Odella apologized.

"You're idea was really helpful Odella. I'm just worried. It seems like that's all I can do is worry." Sally smiled trying to lighten the mood. "You could never upset me my creature."

Odella smiled back with more confidence.


End file.
